Have you ever thought you
would shrink to one inch tall, shoot up 10 feet tall, or fall into a dark
hole and never escape just by opening a dusty box in your attic?

Those are some of the scenarios
that a crowd of school children conjured up during Trinity's 11th annual
Young Authors Festival May 6. Nearly 250 students and teachers from 13
schools in Illinois and Indiana converged on the campus to share and sharpen
their creative skills with one another.

"This year's festival was
a resounding success," said Joy Meyer, chairman of the education department,
who coordinated the event. "It was a great day for us to celebrate the
gifts and talents that these young people have, and everyone had a lot
of fun. I've heard very positive comments from the teachers who came and
the Trinity students who participated as group leaders."

Author
Carolyn Crimi spoke in the Fireside Chapel about her career as a writer
of children's fiction and enlisted her young audiences' help in developing
a few storylines. Many of the children in attendance received autographed
copies of some of her books, which include Don't Need Friends, Outside,
Inside, and Tessa's Tip-Tapping Toes.

"I get to think of some of
the craziest, weirdest possibilities and make stories out of them," Crimi,
who has been writing for publication for nearly 15 years, told the grade-schoolers.
"I write because I really like it, and I can write about anything that
comes to my mind."

Cartoonist
Jim Engle drew caricatures and illustrations for audiences in the Ozinga
Chapel. As he sketched images of well-known characters like Bugs Bunny,
Mickey Mouse, and SpongeBob SquarePants, he offered advice to budding artists
who love doodling on scratch paper.

"God gives everyone a special
talent or ability," Engle said. "Whatever your talent is, the only way
to get better at it is to practice it. People may discourage you, but you
have to be persistent if this is something you really want to do as a career."